‘I described it as a ticking time bomb. I felt I was fighting an invisible war and then two or three days after everything went “woomf” and we had to close,’ said nursery director and manager Michelle Barr of Buttons Nursery in Washington, Tyne and Wear.
Ms Barr is one of 16 nursery staff who have so far tested positive out of 19 along with 13 of the 76 children on the roll. The nursery had been fully open since June but closed on Thursday (28 January) and she anticipates it will remain closed for at least two weeks.
‘We were more than happy to open for all because a lot of parents rely on us but we always said we need some form of protection, whether that’s lateral flow tests or the vaccine,’ she said.
‘We want to be there and do the best for our families but there needs to be support in place, we feel bottom of the pile.’
She is worried about her team and families but also the financial impact that being closed will have on the business.
Childminder Michelle Levene, founder of Jolly Tots childminding group in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, tells a similar story. She was forced to temporarily shut the business when around half of the 24 children on the roll and five out of six staff tested positive for Covid-19. Four staff members have been informed that they have the new variant.
‘Everyone has just gone down like a pack of cards,’ she said. ‘We had obviously been doing a good job of disinfecting and keeping windows open to keep Covid at bay for seven months but this new strain is so highly contagious that whatever you are doing it will just not be enough if it gets into a group.’
While Ms Levene would welcome vaccinations for early years workers, she would not want them to take priority over physically vulnerable people.
Another nursery worker Tweeted that her setting closed after 13 staff members tested positive: ‘One member hospitalised and told she will needs weeks of recovery. Why are we being ignored?’
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said that over recent weeks they have received a growing number of reports of nurseries, pre-schools and childminders forced to temporarily close due to positive cases of Covid at their settings.
‘This worrying trend highlights just how exposed those working in the early years are, and why it is vital that the Government takes urgent steps to ensure they are adequately protected,’ he said.
‘This means direct access to lateral tests to help providers identify asymptomatic cases of Covid and prevent single positive cases becoming outbreaks, and priority access to Phase 2 vaccinations so that those working in the sector can feel reassured that if the worst happens and they do contract the virus, they are at the very least unlikely to become seriously ill.’
He added that it is also vital that providers are given the financial support they need to cope when they are required to temporarily close. Government guidance states that providers should not charge parents during periods of closure due to Covid, but it has not been made clear what financial support is available to settings to make up for this loss of income.
Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA), also believes that the numbers of early years settings temporarily closing because of Covid has increased.
‘In our survey with EPI in the autumn, we discovered that 73 per cent of early years settings had to close partially or fully between August and November,’ she said.
‘We know from what our members tell us that this situation has got worse since then, with many having to close temporarily due to staffing issues, mostly due to self-isolating and positive cases.
‘This is why we have called on the Government and Ministers time and again to give priority to early years staff for the vaccine and to give PVI providers, not just school-based nurseries, access to testing kits.
‘This is what they need to remain open and continue to be able to deliver education and support to our youngest children.’
Survey on impact of Covid
The NDNA and the Education Policy Institute are launching the third survey in their year-long research project looking at the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the early years workforce.
The survey will look at how many times settings have had to fully or partially close as well weekly staff absences. It also continues to look at the way the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is being used in early years, as well as the overall impact on the current make-up of the workforce.
Separate surveys are available for members in England, Scotland and Wales to reflect different lockdown measures, funding support and staffing considerations.
- England - https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ZZQBPPL
- Wales - https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ZPGSPN7
- Scotland - https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Z6FJQXB
